SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah basketball program is experiencing a lot of change this offseason, with the roster at the center of those changes.
Despite Alex Jensen remaining with the Dallas Mavericks through the end of the season, Utah has two important pieces—Raphael Chillious and Wes Wilcox—in place to lead the recruiting efforts.
The Utes have plenty of work to do to reconstruct the roster, but those efforts have already begun.
Getting some work in before we kick things off at the @CBBCrown‼️
🎟️ https://t.co/wktfMa9ee6#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/bhlddiY4x1
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) March 30, 2025
RELATED: Utah Basketball Looking Forward To The College Basketball Crown Tournament
While the current basketball squad is in Las Vegas for the College Basketball Crown tournament, Utah hosted three transfer prospects for visits.
Utah basketball hosted transfer portal visitors
Isaiah Watts
The son of former Washington Huskies standout Donald Watts and grandson of Seattle SuperSonics legend Donald “Slick” Watts.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard from Seattle spent two years in Pullman, averaging 6.8 points over the span of 54 games. Watts averaged more than 11 points per game this season while shooting 38.9% from the field and 34.8% from deep this year. He suffered a hand injury that forced him to miss 10 games.
Watts was considered Washington State’s best defender, which is noteworthy. He possesses exceptional lateral quickness and active hands, making him a formidable on-ball defender. That is where Watts would make the biggest impact with Utah.
Utah will face stiff competition for Watts, as Washington, Seton Hall, and others will be interested.
RELATED: Will Utah Shift Focus Towards Adding Andre Miller To Basketball Program?
Camron McDowell
McDowell, the former Georgia Bulldog, has traveled quite a long way in his college basketball journey. He’s turned into one of the top D2 prospects in the transfer portal.
At 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds, McDowell averaged 27.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists this past season. He improved from 16.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists the year before.
The lefty started his career in Georgia before transferring to Jacksonville State and spent the past two seasons at Northwestern Oklahoma State. There would be an obvious adjustment to this level of basketball, but McDowell possesses the qualities to make it.
McDowell is also receiving interest from programs such as Mississippi State, Cal, Rutgers, and Cincinnati.
Amsal Delalic
The freshman from Pitt is an interesting target. He averaged just 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in just 13 minutes per game over 21 appearances this season. The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder is a wing that converted 46% from the field and over 35% from 3-point range.
However, the native of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Delalic was a top-30 European prospect prior to joining Pitt. Delalic had been playing professionally in the Bosnia Division I and ABA League Second Division.
There, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting over 40% from three-point range and 80% from the foul line in 23 Bosnia Division I games.
Delalic is garnering interest from Clemson, Wisconsin, and Penn State, among others.
A Look At Utah’s Roster Construction
Utah has a lot of work to do before the roster is finalized, but efforts to improve its overall quality are underway. It’s also important to consider that Jensen and his first two hires come from the NBA. Even though Raphael Chillious brings extensive recruiting ties, he’s been with the Memphis Grizzlies for the last eight months.
Because of that, the program will need time to generate the momentum it needs on the trail. However, it is encouraging that Chillious was able to bring in visitors in such a short time.
Only five players are on Utah’s 2025-26 roster projection, and even then, players within that group are expected to hit the portal. However, Utah will work to retain some of its own portal entrants, so this is a bit in flux. College basketball also expands scholarship limits to 15 next season, which means Utah could make 10 additions, if not more, this offseason.
Utah’s current roster projection:
Zach Keller, SR
Mike Sharavjamts, SR
Ezra Ausar, SR
Ibrahima Traore, FR
Alvin Jackson, SO
Utah’s current players in the transfer portal:
Keanu Dawes, JR
Miro Little, JR
Lawson Lovering, SR
Hunter Erickson, SR
Jake Wahlin, JR
By targeting players like Watts, McDowell, and Delalic, Utah aims to address specific needs, such as athleticism, defensive intensity, scoring depth, and overall versatility. With these three visiting this week, Utah is quickly getting to work, too.
RELATED: Utah Defense Seems Hell-Bent On Improving In 2025
Beyond those three, Utah has also been linked to the following:
Jayden Brewer, SF, FIU
Jayden Reid, PG, USF
Amarri Monroe, SF, Quinnipiac
Langston Reynolds, SG, Northern Colorado
Marquel Sutton, SF, Omaha
Kevlin Odih, SG, 2025 recruit (West Virginia de-commit)
Harun Zrno, SF, 2025 recruit (Indiana de-commit)
In a conference loaded with talent, Utah is determined to add guys who fit the bill. For Utah fans, these are the sort of talented prospects the program needs and should be involved with more often.
Keep an eye on movement from these three in the coming days and weeks because Utah seems poised to make a splash.
RELATED: Takeaways: Kyle Whittingham Addresses Media After Utah Football’s Second Spring Ball Practice
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
Take us with you, wherever you go.
Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.